


The Common Cold

by ozuttly



Category: Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger
Genre: M/M, Major Illness, Mentions of surgery, human biology is different than alien biology, hurt comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-03-07
Packaged: 2018-05-25 04:57:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6181153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ozuttly/pseuds/ozuttly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It started with a runny nose. Joe had gotten it first, and then Luka, then Ahim and Don. Then there came the cough, and the watery eyes and the scratchy throat. </p>
<p>Gai, unfortunately, is a different story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Common Cold

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a tumblr dialogue prompt of 'it's all my fault'. My first time really writing for Gokaiger, even though I love it. I figured it's long enough to have it's own entry.

It started with a runny nose. Joe had gotten it first, and then Luka, then Ahim and Don. Then there came the cough, and the watery eyes and the scratchy throat. It only lasted a few days, even though Luka complained for every one while Ahim waited on her with warm tea and soothing words. They’d stopped on a small friendly planet while waiting for the whole thing to blow over, because there was no way that they could continue into enemy territory while half the Galleon’s crew was sick in bed. 

Marvelous had still run himself ragged, of course, looking after every one of his teammates with an attentiveness that almost made Gai a little jealous that he hadn’t caught it yet. The earthling had even made an offhand comment that their captain was mothering, which had earned him a glare and a basketful of snotty, sweaty sheets that needed to be washed. 

“You need to start pulling your weight too, Gai,” Marvelous had teased, a little annoyed but with no real malice behind the words. While Gai hated laundry duty (he tried not to complain, but everybody knew it), he also knew that their captain was worried sick about his teammates, even though they knew it was nothing serious, and he hated doing nothing while Marvelous was working so hard. So he had washed every sheet and pillow case on the entire ship, as well as all of the dirty clothes and the tablecloth that Luka had sneezed into when she didn’t have a napkin. 

By the time he was done he felt gross and dirty and crusty, but Marvelous had grinned at him when he had come back up into the living quarters, and his heart had done that stupid fluttery thing that it always did when his captain smiled. He still felt crusty and gross, but he was a bit giddy too as he showered and then went to start on making dinner (since Don was still in bed, and nobody wanted him cooking with how much he was coughing).

Within a week, everybody was healthy again, and they had left port to continue on their journey. Gai had felt a little tickle at the back of his throat, but it was nothing serious, so he ignored it in favour of focusing on his daily duties.

When it turned into a sniffle later in the evening, Luka had groaned while Ahim had offered him a cup of the strange herbal tea blend that she had been giving to Luka the whole time. He’d taken it, even though it tasted kind of gross, but he didn’t really feel that bad. It had also taken a strangely long time for him to get sick, so maybe it wouldn’t even go anywhere. Maybe he’d just sneeze a few times and be done with it. That would be nice. 

Even though he did kind of wish that Marvelous would sit by his beside and take care of him. 

The next morning, the sniffles had grown worse, along with a slow ache in his lower stomach that made him wince when he bent down. The rest of the crew had give him worried looks a few times, but he’d reassured them that he was fine, and reluctantly they’d agreed. Their concern was touching, but it really wasn’t that bad. 

Until lunch time. Lunch was when it all went to shit. 

They were still living mostly on chicken soup, using up the meat that Marvelous had gotten from their pit stop before it inevitably went bad. Everybody was a little tired of it, but Don was grumpy from their complaints, so Gai had bitten his tongue and eaten his portion quietly. 

Or, he’d tried. He had taken two bites when his stomach had loudly protested. It felt like something inside of him had snapped, and the pain that came from his lower belly was the worst he’d ever felt in his life. It was as though he was on fire and being ripped in two at once, like his organs were boiling, and he immediately brought his hands up to cover his mouth. 

All eyes were on him immediately, but his vision was getting blurry, and even though he knew he should run to the bathroom, his legs were wobbly and couldn’t move. 

“Oh, it’s not that bad,” Don had exclaimed, sounding exasperated and tired, at the same time that Luka had demanded “Don’t you dare throw up at the table, Gai.”

He really wanted to listen to her, and also to assure Don that it had nothing to do with his cooking, but before he could do anything he felt the contents of his stomach coming up regardless of his intentions. When he threw up onto his dinner plate, however, a part of him vaguely realized that normally having a cold didn’t make you vomit up what looked like a liter of blood, and another part of him was angry because he’d just washed that tablecloth. 

He still couldn’t see clearly, but he managed to get out a gurgly ‘I don’t feel so good’ before falling off his chair. He was vaguely aware that he didn’t hit the floor, and he might have seen Marvelous’ concerned face staring down at him, his lips moving like he was talking, but that might also have been his own selfish imagination. 

*

He wasn’t sure how long he was asleep. He felt like he was drifting in and out of consciousness for a while, catching hints of things happening before they slipped away. Doc shining a light in his eyes. Joe carrying him into their small medical bay with a look of quiet concern on his face. Ahim attentively wiping sweat away from his brow and mess from his face while Luka pushed his hair out of his eyes. Marvelous was nearby in all of them, hovering, but it all felt surreal and dreamlike, and Gai couldn’t speak or move through any of it. At one point there was a scalpel, Joe with a needle and thread. Marvelous at his bedside, clasping his hand and whispering into his ear.

“It’s all my fault. I’m sorry, Gai, just be ok, ok? Please. I’ll never make you do laundry again as long as you get through this.” 

He woke up to darkness. It wasn’t like there was really a nighttime and daytime in space, so it didn’t necessarily mean much, but usually the cabin was only ark when the crewmembers were all asleep. Gai made to reach up and wipe the sleep out of his eyes, maybe sit up and see where everybody was, but he immediately became aware of two things. 

One, there was an IV in his arm, hooked up to a bag hanging from the edge of his bed. Two, moving really hurt, and he groaned before throwing his head back onto his pillow in frustration. There was a weight on his chest, pinning him down, and he grumbled a bit as he looked down at it. 

It was his captain, head pillowed on Gai’s sternum, with deep bags under his closed eyes. Gai wanted to smooth the dark circles away, but quickly shook the thought out of his head. Metaphorically. He still couldn’t really move that much without pain spiking in his everything. 

“Marvelous-san,” he said quietly, his voice scratchy and cracking. His mouth was dry and it felt like he hadn’t spoken in years. Marvelous’ eyelids fluttered as he slowly raised his head, his eyebrows drawn together as he looked up at Gai, still sleepy and confused. Gai never got to see their captain looking sleepy and confused, and it almost made the horrible sickness and the hurt worth it. He licked his lips, swallowing dryly as he tried to get some moisture in his mouth. “Good morn–”

He didn’t even get to finish the sentence, lame as it was, because suddenly Marvelous was kissing him as though Gai was water and he was dying of thirst. One hand was cupping his face, and Gai didn’t know why this was happening, but his heart was beating a mile a minute and he felt like he would float through the roof if Marvelous wasn’t holding onto him. 

But then one of Marvelous’ hands strayed down towards his stomach, and Gai remembered just why they were making out in his bedroom to begin with. 

“Ow, Marvelous-san, hurts–” He choked on the words between kisses, and Marvelous immediately pulled his hands back like he’d been burned. Gai hated that he had stopped, and he almost whined for Marvelous to keep going, but when he saw the look on his captain’s face he bit his tongue. 

“You idiot,” Marvelous muttered, but his voice was watery and affectionate, and Gai could only smile in response. He loved hearing Marvelous’ voice, even when his captain was scowling down at him with worry and relief and something that Gai was almost optimistic enough to call love. 

“Sorry,” he said, though he was still grinning, and Marvelous sighed softly as he laid his head down on his chest again, clinging as though he were afraid Gai was going to disappear. It makes Gai wonder just how bad things had been, but he’s almost scared to ask. “I thought it was just a cold,” he jokes instead, but Marvelous is glaring at him and he thinks that maybe making light of things might have been the wrong idea. 

“It was,” the captain answers seriously after a few moments of tense silence. “For us. Doc said…” He swallowed, as though trying to put off the explanation as long as possible. “…Earthling bodies are different. You have a different immune system, and…” 

Gai looks down to where Marvelous’ eyes are straying, to the bandages wrapped around his midsection. They’re clean and fresh, and Gai wonders if his captain applied them himself. Somehow the neatness of the work makes him doubt it, but it’s a nice thought regardless. 

“You took out my spleen,” he reasons, because he wasn’t fully lucid but he was awake for some of it. He remembers snippets of worried conversations and Joe stitching him up after Don completed the surgery. He can’t see the scar but he can feel it, sore and raw. Marvelous nodded. 

“And your… What do you call it. Appendix. Doc said you could do without them, and the virus was… Basically some of your organs were liquifying from the inside out and bleeding and–”

Gai feels like he’s going to be sick, and Marvelous seems to notice, so he stops the explanation and instead runs soothing fingers through Gai’s hair until he feels his nerves calm down. 

“We pumped your stomach, stopped the infection there from getting too bad. On the upside Doc managed to come up with a sort of vaccine, so you won’t get that sick again.” 

That was comforting, and Gai sighed softly. 

“How long was I out for?” He asked, having been awake for less than ten minutes but already feeling antsy. Marvelous was giving him a Look, though, the same one that he had given Joe when he’d tried to do pushups when Doc had told him to rest. 

“You’re going to be in bed for another week,” Marvelous said, his tone not allowing any arguments, and Gai whined, but he wasn’t truly all that upset. Instead, the sound turned into a giggle, and Marvelous was looking at him like he’d gone crazy before he looked up at him and grinned. 

“That means that it’s my turn for Marvelous-san to take care of me,” he said, sounding proud and excited at the same time, and the scowl that he got in return was relieved and fond. “And you also said I never have to do laundry again,” he reminded him, and the scowl seemed to turn more genuine as Gai felt a soft smack against his head.


End file.
